In Baltimore, Monarch students walk a path of civil rights history by Peter Crispino for The Baltimore Sun

“When eighth-graders at Monarch Academy crack open their textbooks to read about the lives of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Baltimore NAACP organizer Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, they’ll do so knowing they’ve sat in the same church pews and walked along the same streets as the civil rights legends.

When they learn about segregation in Baltimore’s restaurants and parks, they’ll recall standing on the grassy plot in Druid Hill Park where a “colored-only” swimming pool once sat, just a short distance from the ornate recreation pavilion that was reserved for white patrons.

On Thursday, more than 70 students from Monarch Academy in Glen Burnie spent a day walking in the footsteps of civil rights leaders and viewing some of the locations where Marshall, Jackson and the Rev.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. wrote history. Students learned throughout the day that while some storefronts may have changed names, the shadows of the men and women who visited them still loom large over the neighborhoods.”

Third grader at our Monarch Academy Glen Burnie Campus, Haley Neslony submitted her artwork to the White House 2015 Easter Egg Roll Design Contest. In honor of the 5th anniversary of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, this year’s Easter Egg Roll theme was “#GimmeFive.” The challenge was to show the First Lady five ways you’re leading healthier lives through artwork.

There were more than 5,000 entries from across the Nation; First Lady Michelle Obama selected two winning designs, which will be used as part of the White House 2015 Easter Egg Roll program and souvenir poster.

Haley’s artwork was one of two chosen by Michelle Obama! On March 17th the White House called and spoke to Haley at school, congratulating her on her artwork being chosen and inviting her to be a special guest of The Obama’s at the White House Egg Roll on Monday, April 6th, 2015.

The Monarch Academy in Glen Burnie is holding an Open House on March 24, 2015 at 10AM for any candidates interested in substituting. Our “on-call” Substitutes work closely with students with special needs, complete clerical work, lunch duties etc under the direction of our teachers. The pay is $10 an hour and a High School Diploma is required. Interested candidates should contact Barb Kisling kislingb@monarchcharter.org and plan to attend the scheduled open house.

A new school could relieve overcrowding in Annapolis-area elementary schools, if the company that wants to run it can find a spot in the city.

The Board of Education on Wednesday approved an amended contract for the charter school company, which was set to open a school in the next academic year in Glen Burnie. This would mean The Children’s Guild would operate three schools in the county.

In December, Superintendent George Arlotto announced they were working on a new deal for the company.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the agreement without much fanfare or discussion.

The schools will be contract charter schools, which means the student base is limited to a certain area. The Children’s Guild already operates the Laurel-based Monarch Global Academy, which is limited to children from Maryland City, Brock Bridge or Jessup elementaries.

The school intended for Annapolis would open by 2017, and instead of serving children from grades kindergarten to eighth grade, it would serve children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment would be a maximum of 805 students. Currently, the largest elementary school is Germantown Elementary, which has a state-rated capacity of 718 students and is just under 90,000 square feet.

The contract school would help relieve overcrowding in schools such as Tyler Heights, where whole grades are housed in portable units behind the school. According to 2014 state-rated capacity numbers, Hillsmere and Germantown elementaries are also overcrowded.

Due to inclement weather all campuses we operate are closed for students; we follow the counties in which are schools reside – Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s have all announced closings. More information.

The Children’s Guild Baltimore & the Monarch Academy Baltimore City, Glen Burnie and Laurel are now closed. Prince George’s has a two hour delay for students, March 2nd due to inclement weather. Further information on closings & delays by school district.